Coping saw

ABSTRACT

The present invention is a coping saw for performing a coping operation. The saw is operable in a first orientation for performing a first cut and in a second orientation for performing a coping second cut and comprises a handle having one or more power switches for activating and deactivating the drive system in both the first orientation and in the second orientation.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present invention is a divisional patent application of U.S. Utilitypatent application Ser. No. 12/653,308 filed Dec. 11, 2009 entitled:Coping Saw.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The subject invention is directed to a coping saw and more particularlyto a coping saw having an improved handle that permits the coping saw tobe easily operated in a first orientation for making a first cut and ina second orientation for making a coping second cut.

Traditionally, when a room is finished within a building, molding isoften applied around the room adjacent the juncture between the ceilingand the walls and/or adjacent the juncture between the floor and thewalls. The molding adjacent the ceiling is generally referred to ascrown molding, while the molding adjacent the floor is generallyreferred to as baseboard molding. Molding is installed along a wall, andthe different pieces of molding meet in the corners of the room toprovide a seemingly endless border around the ceiling and floor of theroom.

For aesthetic purposes it is desirable that the pieces of molding meetat each corner juncture without a seam so as to provide a seeminglycontinuous, unbroken boundary of molding. Making two pieces of moldingmatch up without a seam is difficult because in most instances, moldinghas an ornate exposed surface which includes a variety of projections,curves and indentations. One proposed way of eliminating the seam is tomiter or cut the molding pieces at a particular angle which will allowtwo pieces to meet at a corner juncture and form a continuous structure.For example, a corner piece of molding will be mitered at 45 degrees fora 90 degree room corner. However, it is very difficult to miter themolding so that there is an exact fit, and if the mitering is notexactly precise, a seam or crack appears and ruins the continuous lookof the finished molding. Seamless mitering is even more difficult whenthe molding is tilted forward away from the wall, as crown molding oftenis.

Currently, the most popular technique for affixing separate pieces ofmolding together in the corner juncture of a room to provide an apparentand continuous and seamless structure is coping. Coping involves makinga precise cut along one end of a piece of molding so that the cut endfollows the unique projections, curves and indentations of the adjacentpiece of corner molding. Proper coping of a piece of molding produces analmost perfect match at the corner juncture, and thereby yields anaesthetically pleasing continuous border structure around a room. Copinga piece of molding has traditionally required using a coping saw whichis specially formed for the task of coping. A conventional coping saw isa hand saw with a very narrow blade that is held under tension in ashaped frame and is used for cutting curves in wood.

However, coping with such a traditional coping saw is a relatively slow,arduous, and labor intensive task. The manual sawing takes place withthe blade generally at an angle. Furthermore, the saw blade must beguided around various curves, notches and protrusions. To cope, theoperator saws back and forth being careful to maintain and follow theproper molding curves necessary to make the two corner pieces of moldingmatch. Depending on the particular corner piece to be coped, theoperator will either perform the coping process in a single step, suchas for molding having a smooth and rounded contour, or in for morecomplicated shaped molding, as for molding having sharper angles andcurved contours such as shown in FIG. 1, a two step process is used.

While it takes only seconds to miter a piece of molding with availablemiter boxes, depending upon the size of the molding, for moldingrequiring a coping cut it takes approximately one minute to as long asten minutes to cope the molding piece with a traditional coping saw. Tofurther frustrate the coping process, homeowners are requesting the useof more and more hardwoods for their molding, thus making coping an evenmore difficult, physical and time-consuming job. As may be appreciated,the increased time spent coping a piece of wood decreases the productionof the woodworker not only by making the molding installation processtime longer, but also by physically tiring the woodworker such that hiswork is slowed down by simple exhaustion.

There have been attempts in the prior art to ease the task and speed upthe time necessary for coping a piece of molding. For example, U.S. Pat.No. 4,949,464 to Adomatis discloses an electrically operating copingsaw. Such coping saws typically utilize a motor to drive a blade whichreciprocates back and forth in a sawing motion. However, while such adesign might seemingly reduce the continuous physical sawing motionnormally required to cut with a coping saw, such coping saws are notvery useful from a practical standpoint. Coping is a very precise andtedious operation often requiring small, precise cuts around the variouscurves and protrusions of a piece of molding. Such saws havingreciprocating back and forth sawing motion have a tendency to shake andjerk as they cut. This shaking tends to make precision cutting difficultand throws the blade out of line with the precise curves, which must befollowed to accurately cope a piece of molding. Furthermore, such sawsare often difficult to even start on a piece of molding because of theshaking and jerking motion of the moving blade. As may be appreciated,starting the path of a coping saw into the correct curve line is acritical part of proper coping.

Other hand-held or portable powered sawing mechanisms are also known.For example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,955,063 to Greitzer discloses such aportable power saw. However, such saws are generally designed toaccomplish very gross, straight cuts such as ripsaw work, crosscut work,metal cutting and the severing of bones in meat cutting. Because of therigorous cutting action of such saws, the blade cannot be guided gentlyand precisely over a piece of molding as required for performing acoping cut.

The structures and frames of the other various prior art saws are alsodesigned to make straight cuts on large pieces of wood as opposed to thedelicate curved cuts involved with coping. For example, the sawdisclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,621,894 to Niksich has a rigorous cuttingaction and requires two hands to operate and does not leave a hand freeto hold and guide a piece of molding. Similarly, the saws disclosed inU.S. Pat. No. 1,584,630 to Meighan; U.S. Pat. No. 2,604,910 to Crosby;U.S. Pat. No. 2,690,774 to Hoard; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,413,414 toStrzalka all require two hands to properly operate and manipulate thesaw. When making straight cuts in large bulk pieces of wood for whichthese saws are designed, the pieces of wood are often held by a clamp orare propped up between two sawhorses and thus do not require theoperator to hold the wood while sawing. However, such saws require theoperator to clamp the molding and making very precise cuts around thevarious curves of the molding to cope the piece is difficult.

Other saws have been developed for coping and include a continuous bladethat travels around a pair of pulleys. While such coping saws allow moreprecise cuts they are difficult to operate in more than one orientation.Thus, for many coping operations requiring the user to operate the sawin more than one orientation, the saw is difficult to use and oftenresults in cutting errors.

Consequently, there is a need for a coping saw which does not requirethe slow and tiresome physical sawing procedure of a traditional manualcoping saw. There is further a need for a coping saw which can quicklyand easily make precise cuts around any curves, notches and protrusionswhich are found on a piece of molding, and which is easy to start in afirst operating orientation to properly make a first cut in a piece ofmolding and thereafter operate in a second operating orientation toeasily and precisely manipulated around the various molding curves toperform a second coping cut.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a new and improved coping saw for performing acoping operation on molding, wherein the coping saw operates in a firstorientation for producing a first cut on the molding and in a secondorientation for producing a coping second cut on the molding.Preferably, the coping saw comprises a housing, a drive system mountedto the housing for driving a continuous blade, and a handle having afirst power switch and a second power switch for activating anddeactivating the drive system in the first orientation and in the secondorientation, respectively.

In another preferred embodiment of the invention the drive systemcomprises a drive wheel driven by an electric motor and coupled to afree wheel by the continuous blade.

In another preferred embodiment of the invention the coping saw furthercomprises a guide for providing a support surface for saw against themolding during the cutting process.

In another preferred embodiment of the invention the coping saw operatesin a first orientation for producing a first cut on the molding and in asecond orientation for producing a coping second cut on the molding.Preferably, the coping saw comprises a housing, a drive system mountedto the housing for driving a continuous blade, and a handle having acentrally placed power switch for activating and deactivating the drivesystem in the first orientation and in the second orientation of thecoping saw.

In another preferred embodiment of the invention the coping saw operatesin a first orientation for producing a first cut on the molding and in asecond orientation for producing a coping second cut on the molding.Preferably, the coping saw comprises a housing, a drive system mountedto the housing for driving a continuous blade, and a handle having aslidable power switch that operates to slide into a first position foroperating the saw in its first orientation and to slide into a secondposition for operating the saw in its second orientation.

In another preferred embodiment of the invention the coping saw operatesin a first orientation for producing a first cut on the molding and in asecond orientation for producing a coping second cut on the molding.Preferably, the coping saw comprises a housing, a drive system mountedto the housing for driving a continuous blade, and a handle pivotallyattached to the housing wherein the handle rotates into a first positionfor use of the saw in its first orientation and rotates into a secondposition for use of the saw in its second orientation.

In another preferred embodiment of the invention the saw furthercomprises a first and a second locking means for releasably securing thehandle in position.

These and other benefits, advantages, and embodiments of the inventionwill be apparent from the following description, the accompanyingdrawings and the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Specific features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention willbecome better understood with regard to the following description,appended claims, and accompanying drawings where:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of typical wall molding comprising a firstmolding piece and a second piece of molding;

FIG. 2 is an schematic illustration of a molding piece forming themolding of FIG. 1 showing generally how a piece of the wall molding iscoped at its end to achieve proper fit between the two molding piecessuch as in the corner of a room;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the coping saw of the subject inventionillustrating the coping saw in a first orientation for performing afirst cut of the molding piece of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the coping saw of the subject inventionillustrating the coping saw in a second orientation for performing acoping second cut of the molding piece of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a partial side view of the coping saw of the subject inventionshowing a preferred embodiment of the saw handle having a first powerswitch and a second power switch for operating the saw in its firstorientation and its second orientation, respectively;

FIG. 6 is a partial side view of the coping saw of the subject inventionshowing another preferred embodiment of the saw handle having acentrally placed power switch for operating the saw in its firstorientation and in its second orientation;

FIG. 7 is a partial side view of the coping saw of the subject inventionshowing another preferred embodiment of the saw handle having a switchthat can slide into a first position for operating the saw in its firstorientation and can slide into a second position for operating the sawin its second orientation;

FIG. 8 is a partial side view of the saw handle of FIG. 7 showing apreferred embodiment of the electrical wiring system and means forsecuring the power switch in first position and in a second position;

FIG. 9 is a partial side view of another preferred embodiment of the sawhandle having a power switch and a hinge assembly for allowing the sawhandle to rotate into a first position for operating the saw in a firstorientation and to rotate into a second position for operating the sawin a second orientation;

FIG. 10 is a detailed side view of the locking mechanism of the sawhandle of FIG. 9 for securing the handle in position;

FIG. 11 is a detailed side view of another preferred embodiment of thelocking mechanism of the saw handle of FIG. 9;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the coping saw showing the saw blade ahaving a drive wheel and a free wheel for supporting and driving the sawblade.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention solves the problems of the prior art sawsdiscussed above and provides a distinct advance in the state of the art.The coping saw of the subject invention comprises an endless bladeeffective for cutting the profiled edge of a molding piece. The sawincludes a saw handle effective for allowing the coping saw to be easilyused in a first orientation for making a first cut and easily used in asecond orientation for making a coping second cut along the profilededge of a molding piece. As shown, when operating in the firstorientation (FIG. 3) the user's hand on the handle is positioned abovethe housing and when operating in the second orientation (FIG. 4) theuser's hand on the handle is positioned below the housing. As usedherein, the phrase “the handle is positioned above the housing” meansthe housing is closer to the ground than the handle and the phrase “thehandle is positioned below the housing” means the handle is closer tothe ground.

Referring to FIG. 1, typical molding 10 formed from a plurality ofmolding pieces 12 is shown comprising several curved portions 14 havinga relatively planar portion 16 there between and upper and lowerstraight end portions 18 and 20, respectively. It should be understoodthat molding 10 is not limited to the particular geographic shape shownbut can have a combination of various curves, indentations, andprotrusions to provide the desired appearance of the wood border formedby the molding 10.

Generally, before a piece 12 of molding 10 is coped, one of the piecesof molding which are to be matched up in the corner are mitered. Ceilingmolding often extends away from the wall at an angle. Mitering the twopieces achieves angled ends to the molding pieces which allow two piecesto fit together at a corner while assuming the chosen angle, such as 45degrees, away from the wall. That is, as shown in FIG. 2, the moldingpieces 12 are cut to define an angle at their ends to define angled endfaces 22. Then, the angled end face 22 of the molding piece 12 must becoped on one of the matching pieces so that a portion of the uncopedmolding piece fits behind the curved profile edge 24 of the copedmolding piece 12.

In making the coped piece 12, some of the molding material, such aswood, must be removed from piece 12 behind the ornate front face 26,having curved portions 14 (FIG. 1) and adjacent curved profile edge 24which must be followed during coping. In this particular example,straight cuts are first made along planar portion 16 and upper and lowerend portions 18 and 20, respectively. A coping cut is then made alongcurved profile edge 24 with the blade 102 of the coping saw 100 angledbehind profile edge 24 and into rearward face 28. The cut removes themolding board material to completely remove angled end face 22 and partof the rearward face 28 of molding 10. The cut thereby defines copedface 30. Typically in coping a curved molding such as described above,the first cut made along the planar portion 16 and upper and lower endportions 18 and 20 are generally perpendicular to the planar portion 16and the upper and lower straight end portions 18 and 20. The secondcoping, is then made to remove ridges 32 on piece 12, such that thecoped face 30 does not interfere with the curves of the non-copedmolding piece (not shown) when the pieces are installed in the corner ofa room. Therefore, the coped face 30 from the coping cut allows the twocorner pieces 12 of molding 10 to fit together snugly in a tight andcontinuous juncture 34 (FIG. 1). FIG. 2 shows only part of the boardactually coped, however, it may be appreciated that when the copingprocedure is done, blade 102 will have made a cut along the entirelength of profile edge 24 to define a fully coped face 30 on piece 12.

It should be understood that each piece 12 of the molding 10 may have anornate front face which may include a variety of different curves,indentations and protrusions to give the appearance of a carved woodborder. The shape of the front face 34 defines the curved profile edge24 which must be followed during the coping cut. For molding 10 havingone or planar portions 16 or one or more straight end portions 18, 20,the saw operator begins by placing the coping saw in its firstorientation and making one or more straight cuts such as shown in FIG.3. After the appropriate straight cuts have been made, starting at thetop of curved profile edge 24, the coping saw 100 is placed in a secondorientation (FIG.4) for making a coping second cut and is moved suchthat the blade 102 travels precisely along the curves of profile edge 24to the bottom of the molding piece 10 to form coped face 30. The cutremoves material from the piece 10 at the rearward face 28 of the piecewhich is behind front face 34 and adjacent profile edge 24.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the coping saw 100 of the subject inventionis shown comprising a housing 104 and a drive system 106 mounted to saidhousing and having a motor 108 which drives a rotating shaft 110 torotate a drive wheel 112 coupled to the shaft 110. The motor 108 may bebattery operated or driven by AC power. A free wheel 114 is coupled tothe drive wheel 112 by a continuous blade 102. Rotation of the drivewheel 112 drives the blade 102 around the cavity 116 of the housing 104.It should be understood that other operating systems such as utilizing adirect coupling between the motor 108 and the drive wheel 112, may alsobe utilized to drive blade 102. One or more power switches 118 areelectrically or mechanically coupled to the motor 108 and operate toturn the motor 108 on and off. In a preferred embodiment of theinvention one or more of the power switches 118 can also operate as avariable speed control, such as by using the amount of pressure beingapplied to the power switch 118 by the operator to control the speed ofthe motor 108 and hence the speed of blade 102. It should also beunderstood that the speed control may be incorporated into the powerswitch 118 or may be provided as a separate control mechanism.

As the blade 102 is driven and moves around the drive wheel 112 and thefree wheel 114 within the cavity 116, there may be a tendency for theblade 102 to slide out of contact with one or both of the wheels therebystopping the operation of the saw and possibly damaging the internalstructure of the saw. Accordingly, in a preferred embodiment of theinvention the drive wheel 112 and the free wheel 114 each have afriction surface 120 containing a friction material such as rubber whichgrips a portion of the saw blade 102 to maintain the blade 102 inposition along the drive wheel 112 and the free wheel 114. It should beunderstood that in a preferred embodiment of the invention the drivewheel 112 and the free wheel 114 includes a peripheral wall 122 thatprevent blade 102 from coming off wheels 112 and 114 should the blade102 drift to one or the other sides of surface 120.

Referring again to FIG. 12 in a preferred embodiment of the inventionthe coping saw 100 further comprises a stationary guide arm 124 mountedon one side of saw 100. During the use of the saw 100, the stationaryguide arm 124 is placed on a piece of molding 12 and the saw 100 ispivoted downwardly at a point on guide arm 124 toward piece 10 such thatthe molding piece 10 passes through the cutting plane of saw 100 and iscut by blade 102. As shown in FIG. 4 the coping saw 100 further includesa handle 126 mounted to the top surface 127 of the housing 104.

Referring to FIGS. 4, and 5 in a preferred embodiment of the inventionthe coping saw 100 comprises a first and a second power switches 118 aand 118 b, respectively, mounted to a handle 126 having a general Ushape contour. As previously stated each power switch is electricallycoupled to the motor 108 to turn the motor 108 on to drive thecontinuous blade 102 or to turn the motor 108 off to stop driving theblade 102. As shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, the power switches 118 a and118 b are placed on opposite ends of the handle 126 such that when thesaw 100 is operating in its first orientation (FIG. 3), the user gripsthe handle such that the user's finger can apply pressure to the firstpower switch 118 a and when the user is operating the saw 100 in itssecond orientation (FIG. 4), the user grips the handle 126 such that theuser's finger can apply pressure to the second power switch 118 b. In apreferred embodiment of the invention the handle 126 are provided withfinger grips 127 to make the gripping of the handle more secure and morecomfortable for the user.

Referring to FIG. 6, another preferred embodiment of the coping saw 100of the subject invention is shown whereby the saw handle 126 is agenerally triangular shape contour handle having a centrally placedpower switch 118. It should be understood that the centrally placedpower switch 118 permits the user to easily operate the saw 100 in itsfirst orientation and in its second orientation. In a preferredembodiment of the invention the handle 126 are provided with fingergrips 127 to make the gripping of the handle more secure and morecomfortable for the user.

Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, another preferred embodiment of the handle126 is shown whereby the power switch 118 is a slidable switch that isattached to a slider 128 that slides along a track 129 along the handle126 and is electrically connected to a power source (not shown) througha wire and housing means 130 that operates to slide into a firstposition for operating the saw 100 in its first orientation and to slideinto a second position for operating the saw 100 in its secondorientation. As shown, the handle 126 includes first and secondapertures 132 and 134, respectively, that cooperate with a detent 136 onthe slider 128 for releasably securing the slider 128 in its desiredposition. As shown when the saw 100 is operating in its firstorientation, the user slides the slider 128 along the handle 126 intoits first position so that the user can easily apply pressure to thepower switch 118 (FIG. 8 showing the slider 128 being slid along thehandle 126). When the saw 100 is operating in its second orientation,the user slides the slider 128 along the handle 126 towards its secondposition so that the user can again easily apply pressure to the powerswitch 118. In a preferred embodiment of the invention the handle 126are provided with finger grips 127 to make the gripping of the handlemore secure and more comfortable for the user. It should be understoodthat other apparatus allowing the power switch to slide along the handleand secured in place during operation of the saw may also be utilized.

Referring to FIGS. 9-11, another preferred embodiment of the handle 126is shown whereby the handle is pivotally attached to the saw housing 104by a hinge 138 for allowing the handle to rotate into a first and asecond position and releasably held in such positions by first andsecond locking means 140. As shown the locking means 140 comprise aspring hinge 142, aperture 144 and detent assembly 146 such as shown inFIG. 10, or by a spring hinge 142 and detent assembly 146 that clasps aportion of the handle 126 such as shown in FIG. 11. It should beunderstood that the locking means described is not limited to thelocking means described but can be any locking means capable forreleasably securing the handle in its first and second positions. Whenthe saw 100 is operating in its first orientation, the user rotates thehandle 126 into its first position and secures it in place by thelocking means 140 so that the user can easily apply pressure to thepower switch 118 mounted to the handle 126. When the saw 100 isoperating in its second orientation, the user releases the locking means140 and pivots the handle 126 to its second position and secures it inplace by the second locking means 140 so that t he user can easily applypressure to the power switch 118. In a preferred embodiment of theinvention the handle 126 are provided with finger grips 127 to make thegripping of the handle more secure and more comfortable for the user.

It should now be apparent to one skilled in the art that the presentinvention is a new and improved coping saw for performing a copingoperation. As shown and described the saw is operable in a firstorientation and in a second orientation and comprises a handle havingone or more power switches for activating and deactivating the drivesystem in both the first orientation and in the second orientation. Itshould also now be apparent to one skilled in the art that the copingsaw of the subject application provides a saw that is easily used byboth right hand uses and left had users.

Although the foregoing invention has been described in some detail forpurposes of clarity of understanding, it should be apparent that certainchanges and modifications may be practiced within the scope of theappended claims. Furthermore, it should be noted that there arealternative ways of implementing the method and article for implementingthe method of the present invention. Accordingly, the presentembodiments and examples are to be considered as illustrative and notrestrictive, and the invention is not to be limited to the details givenherein, but may be modified within the scope and equivalents of theappended claims.

I claim:
 1. A coping saw for use by a person using one hand to hold thecoping saw when operating in a first orientation and in a secondorientation for performing a coping operation on molding comprising: ahousing having an inner cavity and a top surface; a drive system mountedto said housing for driving a continuous blade within said inner cavity;and a handle pivotally attached to said top surface of said housingwherein said handle rotates into a first position for using the saw inthe first orientation and rotates into a second position for using thesaw in the second orientation.
 2. The coping saw of claim 1 wherein saiddrive system comprises a drive wheel driven by an electric motor andcoupled to a free wheel by said continuous blade.
 3. The coping saw ofclaim 1 further comprising a guide that operates to provide a supportsurface for the saw during operation of the coping saw.
 4. The copingsaw of claim 1 further comprising a first and a second locking means forreleasably securing said handle in position.
 5. The coping saw of claim1 wherein said power switch further operates as variable speed controlsfor controlling the speed of said blade.